Happy hour in Calgary, AB

Grabbing dinner and a drink after a long day at work is a luxury that’s so much easier to justify when you can hit a value-priced happy hour. Here are some of the best places in the city that feature early evening deals for the budget conscious. Now that’s something to be happy about! Image credit: iStock.com/ultramarinfoto.

The Caesar was invented in 1969 by bar manager Walter Chell as a signature cocktail for an Italian restaurant in the Calgary Inn, now The Westin Calgary. Any city bar worth its salt features this concoction of vodka, Clamato, Worcestershire sauce and spices with celery salt-and-peppered rim. Here are some great places to hit to quaff this quintessential Calgary cocktail. [Image credit: iStock.com/Lauri Patterson.

Warm and friendly, what is better than a great coffee house? A coffee house that is licensed to sell alcohol, that’s what! Here are some great Calgary coffee houses that stay open late and serve something a little stronger than caffeine throughout the evening.

Looking to enjoy a tipple on the down low? Prohibition-style speakeasies are all the rage in lounge culture these days, from secret backroom bars to cool lounges featuring ’20s-style cocktails. Not all of these bars are true secrets, but they all carry a bit of the speakeasy spirit. [Image credit: iStock.com/ThisLifeInTrips]

Summertime, and the living is easy… especially when you’re situated on a west-facing patio with a cool mojito in your hand. Traditionally, the classic mojito consists of only five ingredients: white rum, sugar, lime juice, sparkling water and mint, but the Calgary cocktail scene has never been one to keep to tradition. Here are some of Calgary’s best twists on this classic Cuban cocktail. Image credit: iStock.com/id-art.

A great wine bar has both charm and choice in equal measure. Comfortable and intimate, it inspires conversation commensurate with the sipping and sampling of various premium vinos. These wine bars have that magic combination.

Don’t have a room? Not a problem. You don’t need to stay at the hotel to visit these excellent in-house bars. So take a wander through the lobby and find your way to the bar for drinks or a bite to eat. These establishments range from friendly, no-frills sports pubs to elegant cocktail retreats.

As getaways go, an evening of bar hopping has it all. Socializing with friends while sampling new brews and the latest chicken wing flavours sounds like a vacation to me. And who knows? Hitting multiple venues increases your chance of meeting someone special along the way. When you plan your next pint-sipping mini-holiday, call at these ports of crawl.

Spring is a time for renewal. And it's only natural that the city's best cocktail spots launch their warm-weather drink menus with flair befitting this sunshiny season. Sip light and lovely selections at the following venues, which happen to serve the craftiest of beers and cocktails year round.

Most pubs don’t offer patrons a lot in the way of activities — simply sip your drink, munch snacks and keep half an eye on whatever game is playing on the establishment’s TVs. The following watering holes add fun, excitement and even mental stimulation to the pub equation with games that you and your friends can enjoy while savouring those cold pints and chicken wings.

Irish pubs in Calgary are numerous as shamrocks on St. Patrick’s Day. These particular pubs, however, distinguish themselves in this very green field.

Calgary’s ranch-country location makes all things cowboy (and cowgirl) a natural watering-hole motif. As such, two notable country-flavoured bars top this list, but the city does feature a few other notable themed drinking establishments.